Tropescilloscope: Character Development

A character changes over the course of a narrative. (read more at tvtropes.org)

Film Frequency (%) Film Frequency (#)

More Tropes Oh, Crap! Downer Ending The Vamp The Casanova timeperiod The '50s Fire-Forged Friends Tempting Fate Dirty Coward Corrupt Corporate Executive Would Hurt a Child Took a Level in Jerkass Idiot Ball Heterosexual Life-Partners How We Got Here You Killed My Father Adaptation Expansion Shower Scene Dark Is Not Evil Science Fiction Films Composite Character The Film of the Book Department of Redundancy Department Better to Die than Be Killed Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil Screw the Rules, I Have Money! Neck Lift As Himself Chekhov's Gun Heel Realization Foreshadowing Half the Man He Used to Be All Just a Dream Morality Pet Married to the Job Laser-Guided Karma Documentary Spared by the Adaptation Protagonist Title Epic Fail Adaptational Attractiveness Homage Disney Death Alpha Bitch Fiery Redhead The Remake Mood Whiplash Disappeared Dad Bond One-Liner You Have Outlived Your Usefulness It's Personal Kick the Son of a Bitch The Hero Dies World of Ham Noodle Incident Empathic Environment Lampshade Hanging The Voiceless Redshirt Army Ominous Latin Chanting British Films Green-Eyed Monster Ship Tease Jerk with a Heart of Gold Guile Hero Anachronism Stew Hero of Another Story The Load The X of Y The Cavalry Only a Flesh Wound Anti-Villain Funny Background Event Lighter and Softer Villain Opening Scene Breaking the Fourth Wall Storming the Castle Jerkass Has a Point Nice Job Fixing It, Villain! The Ditz Overprotective Dad Bait-and-Switch Creepy Child Cruel and Unusual Death Bolivian Army Ending Death by Adaptation Truth in Television Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping Punch-Clock Villain Honor Before Reason Easily Forgiven Show Within a Show Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds Deliberately Monochrome Here We Go Again! This Is Gonna Suck Eye Scream Badass Longcoat Fantastic Racism Dies Wide Open Market-Based Title Hell Is That Noise Let's Get Dangerous! Distracted by the Sexy Every Car Is a Pinto Off-into-the-Distance Ending Precision F-Strike Red Oni, Blue Oni Visual Pun Man on Fire Only Known by Their Nickname Contrived Coincidence Blood from the Mouth Black Dude Dies First Cool Old Lady Deadpan Snarker Broken Bird Slashed Throat I Need a Freaking Drink Determinator aka: The Determinator Only One Name I Just Shot Marvin in the Face Does Not Like Shoes Manchild Not So Stoic It Will Never Catch On Framing Device Karmic Death Knife Nut Mr. Fanservice Dramatic Gun Cock Cool Old Guy And I Must Scream Scare Chord Slasher Movie Fingore She's Got Legs Black Comedy Rape Kids Are Cruel The Mole Rule of Cool Pre-Mortem One-Liner Blackmail Author Appeal Bound and Gagged Blonde, Brunette, Redhead Destination Defenestration Big Damn Heroes Meaningful Echo Mind Screw For the Evulz Pragmatic Adaptation Drugs Are Bad A God Am I Dirty Old Man The Quiet One Evil Counterpart Roaring Rampage of Revenge Reality Is Unrealistic Bunny-Ears Lawyer Woman Scorned In Medias Res Bury Your Gays Be Careful What You Wish For Failed a Spot Check Missing Mom Sequel Hook Have a Gay Old Time Anguished Declaration of Love An Aesop Mugging the Monster Big Eater No Celebrities Were Harmed Bullying a Dragon Coming-of-Age Story Parental Neglect Country Matters Works Set in World War II The Sociopath Bland-Name Product Adaptation Dye-Job Vacation Films Author Avatar Recap / RiffTrax aka: Riff Trax Movies Scary Black Man Freeze-Frame Bonus The Un-Favourite aka: The Un Favorite Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep" Reckless Gun Usage Anti-Hero Exact Words Totally Radical Men Are the Expendable Gender Cold-Blooded Torture Intergenerational Friendship Not Even Bothering with the Accent Villainous Breakdown Brutal Honesty Adults Are Useless Dropped a Bridge on Him Not What It Looks Like Cat Scare Grey and Gray Morality Not So Above It All Suspiciously Similar Substitute Worthy Opponent Lock and Load Montage Reality Has No Subtitles '80s Hair Darker and Edgier Naked People Are Funny Shut Up, Hannibal! Toplessness from the Back Stalker with a Crush No Antagonist Small Name, Big Ego The Bully Wretched Hive Mistaken for Gay Evil Is Hammy Instant Death Bullet Took a Level in Badass Dumb Blonde Flashback He Knows Too Much Sports Stories And Starring Death by Irony Suddenly SHOUTING! Silence Is Golden Bilingual Bonus Those Two Guys Age Lift Karma Houdini Bloodier and Gorier Psychopathic Manchild The Brute Everyone Has Standards The Great Depression Up to Eleven Kubrick Stare Neck Snap Loophole Abuse Yandere Re-Cut Dying Moment of Awesome Canadian Movies Fainting Well-Intentioned Extremist Red Shirt Ascended Extra Call-Back Catch-Phrase All for Nothing "Shaggy Dog" Story Advertised Extra The Un-Reveal The Mafia Creative Closing Credits Four-Temperament Ensemble Crazy Jealous Guy Sir Swears-a-Lot French Films Once More, with Clarity! Bad "Bad Acting" Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right! Belligerent Sexual Tension You Have Got to Be Kidding Me! The Chessmaster Alliterative Name Zombie Stories Bowdlerise Stock Footage Did Not Get the Girl Pyrrhic Victory Running Gag Overly Long Gag Drowning My Sorrows Dark and Troubled Past Frame-Up Stealth Pun An Arm and a Leg Would Hit a Girl Dirty Cop Immune to Bullets folderlabel Black and Gray Morality The Alcoholic Berserk Button Betty and Veronica Camera Abuse The Ghost Conspicuous CG Very Loosely Based on a True Story Fun with Acronyms Mama Bear Badass Boast Based on a True Story Love Triangle Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass Disney Villain Death Fatal Family Photo Brainless Beauty Twist Ending Toilet Humour aka: Toilet Humor Never Trust a Trailer aka: Trailers Always Lie Pay Evil unto Evil Central Theme Smug Snake Made of Explodium Rule of Three Stylistic Suck Eiffel Tower Effect Artistic License – Gun Safety Broken Aesop Russian Films Romantic False Lead Translation Convention Serial Killer Stepford Smiler Handicapped Badass Gratuitous English Moment Killer Grievous Bottley Harm Red Herring Outrun the Fireball Depraved Bisexual Improvised Weapon Defrosting Ice Queen Arc Words A Minor Kidroduction Gold Digger Maybe Ever After Historical Hero Upgrade Accidental Misnaming Silent Movie Villain with Good Publicity Villain Protagonist Really Gets Around Drives Like Crazy And the Adventure Continues Getting Crap Past the Radar Batman Gambit Sequel Escalation Artistic License – Biology Book-Ends No OSHA Compliance From Nobody to Nightmare NO INDOOR VOICE Hollywood Darkness Establishing Character Moment Rich Bitch Bi the Way Word of God Dissonant Serenity As Long as It Sounds Foreign Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique Bavarian Fire Drill Evil Is Petty Fan Disservice Award-Bait Song Your Head A-Splode Ungrateful Bastard Bad Boss Badass Bookworm Even Evil Has Loved Ones The Atoner Police are Useless The Stoic Left the Background Music On Closed Circle Break the Cutie Becoming the Mask Deus ex Machina Hidden Depths Cluster F-Bomb 20 Minutes into the Future Your Cheating Heart Retcon All Men Are Perverts Expository Hairstyle Change Bloody Hilarious Black Comedy Awesome, but Impractical The Dog Bites Back Developing Doomed Characters German Films Celebrity Paradox Beauty Is Never Tarnished Light Is Not Good Adult Fear Defiant to the End Historical Villain Upgrade Rated M for Manly Training Montage Screw This, I'm Outta Here! Older Than They Look I'm a Humanitarian Spanner in the Works Action Girl Christmas Movies Index Cool Car Meaningful Background Event Improbable Infant Survival aka: Infant Immortality Double-Meaning Title Off with His Head! Jerkass Nice Hat Ambiguous Ending Vitriolic Best Buds Foil Knight Templar Action Survivor Artistic License – Physics Room Full of Crazy Imagine Spot The Stinger Romantic Comedy Music Stories Card-Carrying Villain Fake Shemp Only Sane Man Adaptational Badass Casting Gag Smoking Is Cool The Reveal Badass Normal All There in the Manual Demoted to Extra Decoy Protagonist Credits Gag Blatant Lies Chuck Cunningham Syndrome Police Brutality Narrator Those Wacky Nazis Drill Sergeant Nasty Big "NO!" The End... Or Is It? Horror Comedy Captain Obvious Evil vs. Evil Blood Knight Offscreen Moment of Awesome Evil Laugh Bittersweet Ending Why Did It Have to Be Snakes? Sassy Black Woman Abusive Parents Hope Spot Tap on the Head Genre Shift Kill It with Fire Logo Joke Riddle for the Ages Daddy's Girl Does This Remind You of Anything? One-Word Title Obviously Evil The Lancer Poor Communication Kills Put on a Bus Malevolent Masked Men Pretty Little Headshots Epic Movie Famous Last Words Pet the Dog Chewing the Scenery Crucified Hero Shot Costume Porn Star-Crossed Lovers Unusually Uninteresting Sight Reality Ensues Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane Actor Allusion Last-Name Basis Wrong Genre Savvy Babies Ever After Sinister Minister Insult Backfire Loads and Loads of Characters Monumental Damage Manic Pixie Dream Girl Dull Surprise In Name Only Title Drop I Want My Beloved to Be Happy Mercy Kill Genre Savvy Big Applesauce Death of a Child Properly Paranoid Asshole Victim Aside Glance Catapult Nightmare Unspoken Plan Guarantee Impaled with Extreme Prejudice Punny Name Italian Films Extreme Doormat Implacable Man Scenery Porn Ripped from the Headlines Ms. Fanservice Fanservice Extra Bottomless Magazines Abhorrent Admirer Beta Couple Break the Haughty Rape as Drama Spell My Name with an "S" Fate Worse than Death I Have Your Wife The Oner The Dragon Nice Guy Diabolus ex Machina The Dreaded N-Word Privileges Chase Scene Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold Male Gaze Despair Event Horizon Affably Evil Red Eyes, Take Warning Deliberate Values Dissonance He Who Fights Monsters Femme Fatale Guns Akimbo Dutch Angle Scenery Gorn Ironic Echo Martial Arts Movie Freudian Excuse Shout-Out Not Using the "Z" Word Mighty Whitey Shirtless Scene Faux Affably Evil Vomit Indiscretion Shot Mythology Gag Manly Tears Love at First Sight Suspiciously Specific Denial Antagonist Title Almost Kiss Our Zombies Are Different Heel–Face Turn Trailers Always Spoil Wounded Gazelle Gambit Whole Plot Reference No-Holds-Barred Beatdown Unwitting Instigator of Doom Amusing Injuries Auto Erotica Funny Foreigner More Dakka One-Man Army Dogged Nice Guy Vampire Fiction The Smart Guy Apocalypse How Determinator Historical In-Joke Badass Grandpa Psychological Thriller Beware the Nice Ones Big-Bad Ensemble Together in Death For Want of a Nail Daylight Horror Mooks Same Language Dub Crapsack World Evil Cannot Comprehend Good Fanservice Adaptation Distillation Dark Action Girl Mad Scientist Mexican Standoff Greater-Scope Villain Rule of Symbolism Demonic Possession Setting Update May–December Romance Dramatic Irony From Bad to Worse Spiritual Successor Death by Sex Disguised in Drag Agony of the Feet Bar Brawl The '70s It's All About Me Combat Pragmatist Even Evil Has Standards Peek-a-Boo Corpse Covers Always Lie Adaptational Villainy Politically Incorrect Villain Slap-Slap-Kiss Hypocrite Crazy-Prepared Heroic BSoD Made of Iron Sadistic Choice Face Death with Dignity The Bad Guy Wins Time Skip Only in It for the Money Big Fancy House Fourth Date Marriage Hate Sink Japanese Films Death Glare Insistent Terminology My Greatest Failure Race Lift Anyone Can Die Dual Wielding Animal Title Index Hoist by His Own Petard Ambiguous Disorder Curb-Stomp Battle Irony Needs Wiki Magic Love Names to Run Away from Really Fast What Happened to the Mouse? Friend to All Children La Résistance A Father to His Men Unusual Euphemism Real Life Naïve Newcomer Paper-Thin Disguise Sanity Slippage It Can Think Improbable Weapon User Wham Shot The Cameo Amoral Attorney Dressing as the Enemy Fatal Flaw Ass Shove The Big Guy My Beloved Smother Horror Films Bare Your Midriff Ragtag Bunch of Misfits Sci-Fi Horror Sacrificial Lion Stealth Hi/Bye Eureka Moment Attempted Rape Car Fu Motor Mouth Cool Guns Real Life Writes the Plot Annoying Younger Sibling Villain Song Girl-on-Girl Is Hot Brick Joke Film Series Pimped-Out Dress Accidental Murder Adorkable Rasputinian Death Soft Glass Death Seeker Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas Nice Job Breaking It, Hero! Chiaroscuro Sole Survivor The Ace Boom, Headshot! Hollywood Law Plot Hole Manipulative Bastard Major Injury Underreaction The Faceless Gender Flip Bitch in Sheep's Clothing Recycled IN SPACE! Random Events Plot Gainax Ending Big Bad Duumvirate Character Development Groin Attack Artistic License – Military Children Are Innocent Air-Vent Passageway Call-Forward Public Domain Feature Films The Musical Driven to Suicide Danny Peary Cult Movies List Face–Heel Turn Ambiguously Gay Index of Film Westerns Due to the Dead Dark Reprise Ghost Fiction Animal Motifs Cool Shades Leaning on the Fourth Wall Too Dumb to Live Interrupted Suicide "Awesome McCool" Name Aluminum Christmas Trees BFG Aww, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other Body Horror Killed Mid-Sentence Parental Abandonment Extremely Short Timespan Big Bad Throwing Your Sword Always Works As You Know Humiliation Conga Five-Man Band What the Hell, Hero? An Axe to Grind Unresolved Sexual Tension Shoot the Shaggy Dog Say My Name Skewed Priorities Obstructive Bureaucrat Henpecked Husband Roger Ebert: Great Movies List Didn't Think This Through Super Strength Token Minority Not So Different Evil-Detecting Dog Sexy Discretion Shot Those Two Bad Guys Action Genre Match Cut Slasher Smile Chekhov's Skill Humans Are Bastards Victoria's Secret Compartment Double Entendre Facial Horror Intrepid Reporter Shell-Shocked Veteran My God, What Have I Done? Get Out! Ugly Guy, Hot Wife Canon Foreigner The Smurfette Principle The Hero Earn Your Happy Ending Cowboy Cop Tranquil Fury Meaningful Name No Ending Bloodless Carnage Gilligan Cut Cloudcuckoolander Pun aka: Incredibly Lame Pun Affectionate Parody Gone Horribly Right Mr. Exposition Never Trust a Trailer The Stoner Retired Badass Big Brother Instinct Plucky Comic Relief Eagleland Film Noir Index Early-Bird Cameo The Alleged Car In the Back Hypocritical Humor Broken Pedestal No-Sell Curse Cut Short Adaptation Name Change Wicked Cultured Large Ham Serious Business Biopic Punctuated! For! Emphasis! Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking Improbable Aiming Skills Domestic Abuse Artistic License – History Leitmotif Dwindling Party Adapted Out Stuff Blowing Up Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism Anachronic Order "Well Done, Son!" Guy Captain Ersatz Dramedy Butt-Monkey The Place Cat Fight Insane Troll Logic Jitter Cam Informed Ability There Is No Kill Like Overkill Cassandra Truth Corpsing "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue Comically Missing the Point Hero Antagonist Male Frontal Nudity Take a Third Option Adaptational Heroism The '60s No Good Deed Goes Unpunished Happily Married Never My Fault Laughing Mad Undying Loyalty Good Is Not Nice Deal with the Devil Parental Substitute Kick the Dog Bond Villain Stupidity The Chick Action Prologue Damsel in Distress Obfuscating Stupidity Make It Look Like an Accident Leave the Camera Running Actually Pretty Funny Taking You with Me Gorn Our Vampires Are Different Foregone Conclusion Self-Deprecation She Cleans Up Nicely Retirony Novelization Hair-Trigger Temper Screw the Money, I Have Rules! Non-Indicative Name All Girls Want Bad Boys Sir Not-Appearing-in-This-Trailer Woman in White Refuge in Audacity Artistic License – Geography Black Best Friend Rewatch Bonus Early Installment Weirdness Revenge Final Girl Back from the Dead Take That! The '90s Reasonable Authority Figure Eyepatch of Power Evil Brit The Starscream Fat Bastard Papa Wolf Heroes Want Redheads War Is Hell Ax-Crazy Mystery and Detective Films True Companions B-Movie Action Film, Quiet Drama Scene Thriller What You Are in the Dark Shown Their Work Parental Incest Jump Scare A.I. Is a Crapshoot Bald of Evil Important Haircut Line-of-Sight Name Fish out of Water Evil Sounds Deep Exactly What It Says on the Tin Eldritch Abomination Horror Doesn't Settle for Simple Tuesday Arch-Enemy Disproportionate Retribution Jerk Jock Wham Line Genre Throwback The Lost Lenore Taking the Bullet Film Noir Nothing Is Scarier You Have Failed Me The Power of Love Pretty in Mink Pre-Asskicking One-Liner Villain Ball Product Placement Expy Enemy Mine Soundtrack Dissonance Shipper on Deck Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy Alas, Poor Villain Hooker with a Heart of Gold Why Don't You Just Shoot Him? Gory Discretion Shot Cain and Abel Military and Warfare Films Flipping the Bird A Date with Rosie Palms Race Against the Clock Video Credits Never Found the Body Playing Gertrude Unreliable Narrator Hong Kong Films As the Good Book Says... The '80s Sealed Evil in a Can Rule of Funny Camp Gay I Did What I Had to Do Madness Mantra Tagline Red Right Hand Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome Mundane Made Awesome No Name Given Straight Gay Psycho for Hire Pragmatic Villainy Television Movie Index Posthumous Character Brother–Sister Incest Authority Equals Asskicking Badass in a Nice Suit Kill 'em All Beard of Evil Fantasy Films Heroic Sacrifice O.O.C. Is Serious Business Australian Movies Armor-Piercing Question Continuity Nod Faking the Dead Vomit Discretion Shot Superhero One Steve Limit Colour-Coded for Your Convenience aka: Color Coded For Your Convenience Rousing Speech Creator Cameo Darkest Hour Redemption Equals Death Animated Credits Opening Meet Cute Offscreen Teleportation Chekhov's Gunman MacGuffin All There in the Script Artistic License – Law Historical-Domain Character Spiteful Spit Deconstruction Arranged Marriage Not Quite Dead Bring My Brown Pants After the End "The Reason You Suck" Speech Calling the Old Man Out Evil Plan